Page 62 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

My mom continued, “Tika said Elle told her to mind her own business when she got too nosy. And Udar said she practically slammed a door in his face when he dropped by unannounced. Your father and I have never heard of a human with enough fire to do something that bold.”

I should have been pleased my mom liked my future mate, but all I felt was frustration and a sick anticipation.

“I suppose your excessive aptitude for gold-sniffing is good for something.” Her voice dropped a notch. “Although I still don’t know howyoufound a suitable mate when Udar’s still single. He’s two years older than you,andhe got better knowledge-sniffing marks.”

Ah yes, there it was. The subtle dig to let me know that she didn’t quite believe I deserved what I had. That Udar was still her favorite.

“Do you want us at dinner or not?” The only reason I hadn’t hung up already was because Elle had said shewantedto meet my parents. Frankly, I worried they’d greet her with a long list of reasons she could do better, then conveniently present her with my brother. But since I’d promised to give her anything she wanted…

“Fine, fine,” Mom said. “Just don’t cause a scene.”

I grunted an agreement, then stabbed the end call button.

Annoyed after that phone call and disappointed that I wouldn’t be spending more time with Elle today, I switched forms and flew to City Hall’s treasure room instead. It felt good to shed my clothes and two-legged form in favor of my larger, four-legged one, and on a cloudy day like today, I could fly high above the clouds and forget about upsetting the humans.

Dressed in the clothes I’d clutched in one claw, I entered the city’s treasure room. Diego greeted me.

He seemed to enjoy the gold doubloons I’d gotten him as decoration. He looked at them often enough, glancing up from his screen and sighing.

I’d also switched out the “inappropriate” political art for the less offensive landscape Elle had suggested. It was also less expensive, but Diego had assured me that no one would care.

The first thing I did after I shut the door to my office was put in an order at my favorite gift basket service. I’d used it to help close many deals since claiming Kilinis. Then I called Max Anderson.

“Az’zael,” he said cautiously.

“Max. I owe you and Accutrust an apology.” By dragon standards, Udar and Tika had been annoying, but not so much that anyone would bother to look up from their own conversation.

Every eye at that party had been fixed on us.

Max coughed. “You didn’t warn me you were bringing more guests.”

“I didn’t realize my siblings would show up. They wanted to surprise me, and it didn’t go according to plan. For anyone. I’ve made it clear to them that they were unforgivably rude.” Well, I’d made it clear to Tika. I had a plan to make it clear to Udar. Anticipation tightened my gut.

“I’ve sent something to all your department heads, by way of apology.” The formal words felt foreign in my mouth, but many business-minded humans talked that way.

Max made a noncommittal hum.

I understood what he wanted. He’d hinted at it before.

“Your staff handled themselves so well under the pressure of a few extra dragons last night. In light of that, I’ve decided that Accutrust is a sound, safe investment.”

From there, we came to an agreement on just how much of my hoard I’d need to invest in Accutrust for them to forgive the party debacle and be interested in partnering on future projects.

“Thank you. We appreciate your patronage,” Max said before hanging up.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the wall. I still had so much to do. How the hell had Udar known I was going to be at that gala, whenIhadn’t even known until two days before?

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Udar. Of course it was.

Mom said Elle is coming to dinner next week. Can’t wait to get to know her better.

I wanted to call him and demand answers, but that would just tell him I was on his trail. I’d need to figure out how to be sneaky instead.

Could the bank manager have told him? No, Max was too terrified of me, a dragon he knew, to voluntarily talk to one he didn’t.

But a lot of the companies seemed to know I’d be there. Max was a savvy enough businessman to let his investors know about a VIP. Did Udar have ties to one of those companies?

Back in October, I’d discovered that a new construction company had been funded by a shell company of Udar’s. Since then, I’d meticulously vetted all new businesses and potential investors to make sure they weren’t financed by him.

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